It is obvious from the answers provided that LMAW participants are very aware of the existence of, and willing to engage in NVDA. For example “As a child/young person, I read lots of stories about people in the Holocaust protecting Jewish people – especially the Corrie Ten Boom … and Anne Frank. It makes me wonder further if this is something that the Uniting Church of Australia has especially to be thanked for (more than half of my respondents were from that denomination) or if the broader body of Christ also has this same level of awareness. One respondent said: “I knew [civil disobedience] would come, I was waiting, but not waiting passively. I was preparing. When I was asked, I was ready to respond to the Spirit’s challenge, even though it was a bit scary. I understood the
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One respondent answered the question of how they knew God wanted them to be part of an action this way: I didn’t. But I trusted the experience and witness of many others who had come before. I have an intellectual belief/understanding of Christianity that says this kind of act is not only allowed, but actually a necessity – that part of being a Christian means standing up for the voiceless, and speaking out and acting against injustice. So I trusted that I was acting in line with God’s desire for justice, and for the freedom of people rather than the upholding of unjust laws.
One of the elements of living a life of spiritual discipline is that practitioners are learning to hear God’s voice in the world around them. Even when they are not sure if it is the Spirits voice or their own voice they are to “determine moments in the existence of the old manhood where the new manhood lives.” (Taylor, 2004 p 122) To hear the participants express doubt does not reflect badly on the rightness of the cause, or their willingness, but rather shows a maturity in how they are hearing the Spirit speak to
One respondent answered the question of how they knew God wanted them to be part of an action this way: I didn’t. But I trusted the experience and witness of many others who had come before. I have an intellectual belief/understanding of Christianity that says this kind of act is not only allowed, but actually a necessity – that part of being a Christian means standing up for the voiceless, and speaking out and acting against injustice. So I trusted that I was acting in line with God’s desire for justice, and for the freedom of people rather than the upholding of unjust laws.
One of the elements of living a life of spiritual discipline is that practitioners are learning to hear God’s voice in the world around them. Even when they are not sure if it is the Spirits voice or their own voice they are to “determine moments in the existence of the old manhood where the new manhood lives.” (Taylor, 2004 p 122) To hear the participants express doubt does not reflect badly on the rightness of the cause, or their willingness, but rather shows a maturity in how they are hearing the Spirit speak to